What year EX is better to buy?

[old mechanic]

Buddy of mine is going to buy a EX and asked me to post what year, if any, is less problemed than others. His price range puts him in the 1997 - 2001 range. He is only interested in a Auto trannie and 4 WD or AWD. V6 seem like the only ones that he can find. And should he wait till he finds a V8? I know some year V6 Ex's had camshaft problems.

 

[Rhett]

If it was me, I would wait for or look harder to find a V8. I would prefer to get a 98-01 V8, but 97 V8 would be fine too.

I personally would want 4x4 and not AWD. Really that's a matter of preference as it seems AWD is getting pretty reliable. Used to be, AWD wore parts down faster. Now they seem a lot better.

 

[old mechanic]

If it was me, I would wait for or look harder to find a V8. I would prefer to get a 98-01 V8, but 97 V8 would be fine too.

I personally would want 4x4 and not AWD. Really that's a matter of preference as it seems AWD is getting pretty reliable. Used to be, AWD wore parts down faster. Now they seem a lot better.

Thanks Rhett. Do you know what years have 4WD or AWD? 97-01

 

[section525]

You can get an AWD in all the V8 years (96-01). Never was a 4WD V8.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Never was a 4WD V8.

Thats because trucks are built - not bought. :smoke:

(Tomorrow I'm going to the junkyard to get all of the electrics for a control-track swap).

As for which years are better to buy, it all depends on what you are looking for. With all drivetrain combos, Ford refined them and fixed bugs each year, so a 99 has more "factory updates" than a 96, and should be a better truck. However, these are only minor changes.

For 4 door trucks:
In 95 they switched to a new front suspention and body style.
In 96 the V8 was offered
In 97 the Mountaineer was offered, and so was the SOHC and its 5speed auto
In 98 the rear hatch was redone, the front got a new bumper, the Mountaineer got a new front grille and a V6 option
In 99 The V6s used a returnless fuel system.

Those are the big changes...

 

[section525]

V8BoatBuilder. What year GEM are you going to use? I wasn't sure if the PATS system was part of the GEM (therefore being a bad addition to a '97) and also how the GEM differed between the vacuum controled front axles (after 1996, I think). So if it matters, we'd need a GEM from a 1997 Control Trac and only a 1997 Control Trac. Or am I giving too much credit to the GEM?

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

And a hi-jacking we go... lets continue this conversation in my t-case thread:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97181&page=6&pp=20